


After the nightmare, retirement

by NoMoreBeer4U



Series: After the nightmare series [21]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Details of child's death, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Slash, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:36:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27619156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoMoreBeer4U/pseuds/NoMoreBeer4U
Summary: Just when Jack decides to retire, a new nightmare strikes.
Relationships: Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill, Paul Davis/OC
Series: After the nightmare series [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704055
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	After the nightmare, retirement

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The usual, they aren't mine (I wish!), I just play with them, yadda...

**Washington D.C., June 2011**

Two years.

Two years since Daniel had been cleared for active duty once he had healed one hundred percent from the injuries he had got in Atlantis.

Two years since he had decided to stay in Washington with his partner instead of going back to Colorado.

Two years of happiness without major disasters.

Except for the last six months.

Jack knew Daniel wasn’t happy. Not completely, at least. Not that he wasn’t expressing any dissatisfaction, and the sex was great as always. But Jack could see it in his eyes. They had lost brightness. They had lost their spark.

Daniel’s trips to the SGC had increased in time and duration. There was always some new artifact that he needed to see closer, some recruit in the archeological department that needed to be checked. Every time he came back his eyes were shining, but after a few days, they usually lost the spark again.

Daniel wasn’t meant to work with a computer 7/7. He needed to see, to touch. Jack remembered those days back at the SGC when his partner took his precious artifacts in his beautiful hands and watched and caressed them as if they were a lover. Daniel’s slender fingers were meant to trace the engravings of ancient walls, or to turn the pages of delicate old books, not to click on a keyboard repeatedly.

Two years ago, Jack had wanted to retire, but then the crisis with the Destiny emerged. Daniel had convinced him to stay in the Pentagon. The archaeologist himself felt a responsibility in the matter, as he had been the one who convinced Dr. Nicholas Rush to join the Stargate program. So they both had stayed and made the best of it. But Jack’s heart told him it was time for a new change.

***

**SGC, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado**

It was late in the evening when Daniel stood at the control room watching at the Stargate, his arms wrapped around his middle. So many years and the piece of alien technology still amazed him like the first day. But it was all so different now… He rarely coincided with Vala and Mitchell in his lightning trips to the SGC, Sam was flying the *Hammond* all over the galaxy, Teal’c was ruling the surviving Jaffa, he was living in D.C. with Jack…

“Do you miss it?”

He startled and turned around to the voice that sounded at his back.

“General,” he greeted.

Landry stood next to the archaeologist. “You know you are welcome to come back here full time, don’t you?”

“I know, Sir,” Daniel replied with a soft smile. “But my life is in Washington now. I can’t leave… hmm…”

“Jack?” Landry looked at him in amusement.

Daniel blushed and ducked his head. “Hmm… yeah… I, hmm, well…”

“Yet you miss it,” the General pointed at the Stargate with his head.

“Yeah, I miss it. Not the combat situations, or the hectic routine of years ago. But I miss the team, the camaraderie, the new discoveries... It’s been half a year since the last time I crossed the circle, in that lightning mission to P6Q-377, and well, it was… refreshing.”

“So, you going back tomorrow to Washington as planned?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, life is long and you’re still young. Maybe you’ll be back sooner than you think, you never know!”

“Huh?”

“Give my regards to Jack.” Landry patted the archaeologist's shoulder and left the room smiling enigmatically.

***

**Washington D.C., a few weeks later**

Daniel cracked open his eyes and immediately realized the room was too bright. He reached out a hand and grabbed the alarm clock. His eyes wide-opened and sat bolt upright.

“Jack, wake up! The alarm is off! It's eight! You’ll be late at the Pentagon!” he shook his partner's shoulder.

“Mmmmm…” Came the muffled reply.

“Jack, c'mon, move your ass!”

The General opened drowsy eyes and grabbed the younger man by his waist. “My ass is perfectly happy where it is, thanks,” he smiled. “Although I can imagine a way to make it even happier,” he grinned.

“Jack, we don’t have time for this. We overslept, you must get up, you’re late!” Daniel insisted.

“Nope,” the older man pulled his partner forward until he landed flat on his body.

“Jack, what are you doing?”

“I've got a day off,” Jack said before pecking him.

“You have?” Daniel raised his eyebrow.

“Uh-huh. And you too.”

“I have?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why?”

“Baby,” Jack sighed, “what day is it?”

“Huh… Friday?”

“And?”

“And?”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” He captured his lover’s lips in a long and passionate kiss. When he pulled away, he cupped his face and stroke his cheek tenderly. “Happy birthday, baby.”

“Oh.” Daniel blinked. “Oh!” He smiled at his lover shyly. “You got a day off because of my birthday?”

“Yep,” Jack said, his eyes shining with love and devotion.

“Thank you,” Daniel said with sincere emotion. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Jack caressed the archaeologist’s lips with his thumb before capturing them again in a gentle kiss. “And now get up. I have everything planned.”

“You have?”

“Yep.”

“Oh, God. Should I be afraid?”

***

Five minutes later, the two lovers were standing under the shower spray. Jack moved behind the younger man and sneaked his soapy hands around his waist. He held him tightly while started a trail of kisses from his temple down to his neck. Daniel moaned loudly at Jack’s ministrations. He loved to feel his body squashed against his lover, from behind as much as from the front. Jack stopped midway to lick and nibble that magic spot on Daniel’s earlobe that made the archaeologist shudder.

Jack’s moved his left hand until he made it to his lover’s right nipple. He felt it harden instantaneously when he brushed it with his thumb. At the same time, his right hand, palm wide open, traveled all over Daniel’s abdomen, stroking every muscle and every soft he could reach, as he kept kissing, licking, and sucking the archaeologist’s neck and shoulder.

Daniel loved feeling Jack’s hand stroking any part of his anatomy as much as Jack loved doing the touching. He had never met anyone with so many erogenous zones. Every touch on his lover’s neck, shoulders, chest, stomach, back, buttocks, inner arms and legs, not to mention his privates, triggered his moans. Daniel arched his back to straighten his body so Jack could have better access to every inch of his torso. His wet skin facilitated the movements. The General’s hand slid over his lover’s navel and went on down until it reached his groin. The archaeologist gasped and opened his legs so his partner could sneak in, to cup and fondle his balls. Daniel could feel the older man’s erection pressing against his butt and back and began to move his hips. It was Jack’s turn to moan loudly.

“Baby… love you… yes… keep moving like that.”

Jack moved his hand up and closed his fist around his lover’s cock. Daniel let out a long and loud moan.

“Jaaaack… love you… love you…”

The older man began to pump as Daniel went on rocking his hips at a synchronized rhythm. The water spraying on their bodies made them glisten with the rolling drops.

“Jack… pl’ase… inside me… now…” Daniel panted.

The General didn’t need to be told twice. He moved his lover so he faced the tiles, coated his medium finger with soap, and inserted it slowly into the archaeologist’s hole. Daniel moaned and arched his back. Then he repeated the process with a second and a third finger. Daniel pressed his palms on the wall and moved his ass backward to offer better access. Jack grabbed him by the hips while his cock took aim and entered him slowly.

“God, Jack, yes… Jaaack…”

“Baby, love you… so tight… so hot… can’t have enough of you…”

Once his entire length was inside his lover, Jack sneaked his left arm around his waist and clasped his belly with his open palm to keep him in place. His right hand resumed the pump of the archaeologist’s cock and he started moving his hips. The thrusts were at first slow and soft but quickly increased in speed and power. Every hit to the prostate sent Daniel to the edge.

“Oh, God, Jack… Jack… yes, harder… harder… harder… ohgodohgodohgod…”

The General happily complied. Immense pleasure struck every inch of both men’s anatomy.

“Oh fuck, baby, so hot, so hot, ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck…”

“Jack… oh God, Jack, Jack, Jaaaaaaaack…”

Jack pushed faster and faster, his balls slamming against his partner’s ass until a bolt of intense energy traveled from their groins to every cell of their bodies, and both men came explosively at the same time. Daniel’s cum splashed the wall and quickly dissolved with the water. They convulsed as spasms of pleasure continued hitting their bodies. Finally, their legs buckled, and they collapsed on the shower stall, Jack still holding his partner tightly, both men panting hard, their hearts pounding fast against their chests.

“Happy… birth-day… ba-by…”

***

Daniel really enjoyed Jack’s plan. They visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where they found a common ground. Daniel’s thirst for knowledge devoured every informative tag, while Jack studied the dinosaurs fossils with childish amazement.

“Wow, can you imagine a Goa’uld taking one of those?”

Daniel looked at him in amusement. After so many years of crisis after crisis, it was nice to see Jack so relaxed and happy.

“What?” The general asked his lover when he realized he was staring at him with a warm smile lighting his face.

“I love you,” Daniel mouthed in silence. He longed terribly for the day he could say this out loud.

The rest of the day was even better. They bought burritos and ate them under a tree at Lincoln Park, where they napped afterward. Daniel was lying on his back, legs crossed, his arms cushioning his head when Jack leaned forward and stole him a kiss.

“Jack, are you nuts?” The archaeologist protested. “Someone could see us!”

“I don’t care,” Jack replied casually.

“Well, I do. I don’t want to see you court-martialed.”

“You won’t,” said Jack, moving closer again.

Daniel stopped him by putting a hand on his chest.

“Spoilsport,” Jack grinned.

***

After a long walk in the park, they went back home, where they showered and got dressed for dinner. Daniel was wearing a navy blue shirt and light brown chinos, while Jack opted for black linen trousers and a cream-colored shirt. They looked at each other in appreciation.

Jack took his lover to one of the best restaurants in DC, where they enjoyed a delicious meal and tasted the best wine.

At one moment during the dinner, Daniel caught Jack looking at him intently.

“What?” he whispered, rather amused.

“Your smile, Danny. I think I had never seen you smiling so much in one day,” Jack said, keeping his voice low. “God, I love your smile. I love to see you so relaxed, just… enjoying the moment.”

Daniel blushed and dropped his gaze shyly for a moment before looking at his lover again. “It’s been a perfect day, Jack. And not just today. I mean, I’m happy here in Washington, with you.”

“Are you? I mean, I know you are, but, don’t you miss Colorado? The SGC? To touch your artifacts instead of studying them through a computer?”

“Well, it’s not ideal, but it’s not like I’m hooked to the computer the whole time. I still go there from time to time. Jack, does it worry you? That I miss it and I wanted to go back there?” Daniel asked with a frown.

“No, no, I mean… crap, now I made you lose the smile.” Jack mentally kicked himself for ruining the moment, but fortunately, Daniel recovered his smile again.

“Jack, you are the most important thing in my life. You were before when I decided to stay here, and you will always be. I won’t deny I enjoy the moments I spend at the SGC, professionally speaking, but my life is here, with you. I’m happy the way it is.”

Daniel’s eyes told Jack that he wasn’t speaking the whole truth. The General smiled with satisfaction.

“What?” Daniel asked, noticing his lover’s mischievous look.

“Oh, well, nothing,” Jack said casually. “I was thinking that If what you say is true, then you might not want my birthday gift.”

“You bought me something?” Daniel raised his eyes and then his gaze softened.“Jack, I don’t need any present. This day, all this,” he waved a hand pointing at the beauty of the restaurant, “it’s more than enough.”

“Yeah, well, but it didn’t cost me a cent, so…” Jack shrugged. He snaked his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket and took a small box. “But no worries, if you don’t want it I can take it back where it was.” He waved the box in front of the archeologist playfully.

“What’s in there?” Daniel asked, curious.

“Oh, nothing, you said you don’t need anything, so I’m going to put back it in my pocket again.”

Obviously, the archaeologist’s curiosity took the lead. “Hey, that’s mine, give it to me!”

“You sure?” Jack tried to contain his amusement.

“Jack.”

“Yes, Daniel?”

“Jack!”

“Ok, ok,” the older man laughed. He offered the box to his lover. “Happy birthday, Danny,” he smiled fondly.

Daniel took the box and placed it on the table in front of him. He looked at it in confusion for a few seconds. It was one of those boxes the military used to keep the medals. He looked at Jack with the face of a thousand questions. His lover’s response was to take his hand and entwine their fingers.

“Jack!” Daniel startled.

“What?”

“What? What do you mean, what? We’re in on a public place.” He whispered. “This afternoon the kiss at the park and now this? What’s got into you?” Daniel couldn’t understand his partner's behavior. They both knew they had to keep their relationship locked in the closet. What was that sudden public display of affection?

“Well, I decided I’m tired of hiding,” Jack said casually.

“Jack, that’s not funny. You could go to prison,” Daniel protested.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Jack laughed.

“What? Jack, are you nuts? As far as I know, DADT still applies. Is there a new law I’m not aware of?” the archaeologist’s eyebrows reached his hairline.

“Open the box.”

Daniel looked at the older man, dumbfounded.

“Open the box,” Jack insisted with a nod.

Daniel lifted the lid slowly and froze when he realized what was inside. He stared at the object for several seconds without blinking and then looked at Jack, mouth agape. The General, or rather former General, smiled.

“It’s your dog tags,” Daniel whispered. “You've retired.”

Jack’s smile widened.

“But Jack, your job… it’s important for you.”

“I knew you were going to say this.”

“So?”

“So?”

“Jack!”

“Say hello to the new SGC civilian consultant,” Jack grinned and saluted theatrically.

“What?! You’re kidding,” Daniel said, wanting to believe him but not daring to do so.

“Nope. I’m serious as a heart attack.”

“But…”

“Danny,” Jack interrupted him, “I'm fifty-eight years old. I started at the Air Force Academy at eighteen. For forty years the military has been telling me how to live my life. Where to reside, where to serve… they wrote my destiny, but not anymore. I know the DADT policy is going to be repelled soon, but it’s not just about it. I want to rule my life. Baby, despite what you say, I know you’re not happy here, not completely at least. I see it in your eyes every time you go to Colorado. You belong to the SGC. During those past years, I caught you many times in the control room staring at the Stargate. Some way you need to be near it, near your artifacts, you’re an archaeologist, for crying out loud. I want to go back to Colorado Springs and start a new life there with you. And when you feel that you don’t need to be there anymore, we can go wherever you want.”

Daniel took the tags in his hand and studied them with watery eyes. A lump formed in his throat and he could barely speak.

“Thank you,” he whispered with a tremulous voice. Then he looked at Jack and couldn’t contain the tears anymore. “I love you, God, I love you so much.”

Jack was grinning like a kid on Christmas eve. “No more hiding, baby, no more lies.” He reached out a hand and brushed his lover’s cheeks, sweeping the tears away.

“Let’s go home,” he suggested. “We have a lot to celebrate.”

He paid for the dinner and they left the restaurant. As they started walking, looking for a good place to catch a taxi, Jack took Daniel’s hand. The archeologist’s eyes shone.

“It’s hot. Do you want to walk for a while?” Jack smiled fondly.

Warm spread all over Daniel’s heart. He had wished that for so long, to just walk by the street like any other couple, without having to watch over their shoulders. He gazed at Jack which so much love that the former General felt completely happy about the decision he had made.

They hadn’t made a couple of steps when three brawny men with bully faces and smelling of cheap alcohol appeared from the corner of an alley.

“Well, well, well,” said goon number one. “What do we have here?”

“Looks like we came across a couple of queers,” goon number two smirked.

“Look, guys, you don’t want to mess with us,” Jack said nonchalantly.

“Boooo, I’m trembling,” number one laughed.

“No, seriously, I know it’s a cliché, but if you don’t want problems, you’ll just let us go…”

Jack couldn’t finish his line. Without warning, goons number one and two launched towards the former General and pushed him towards the alley. Jack instantaneously shifted into combat mode.

Daniel’s instinct made him move towards Jack to assist him, when the third goon who almost doubled him in size, grabbed him hard by his shoulders and shoved him against the wall, making his head hit it hard. Taking advantage of the archaeologist's dazed state, he slammed his fist into his stomach. Pain exploded in Daniel’s abdomen, and his woozy mind realized that something was wrong. A punch shouldn’t have hurt so much. He looked down in time to see his attacker withdrawing the bloodstained jack-knife from his gut. He grunted in pain and clutched his belly with both hands.

Oblivious to was just had happened to his lover, Jack kept fighting until he got rid of the other two goons with a few well-directed punches. They ended sprawled on the ground with broken noses, split lips, and cracked ribs. They looked at each other in confusion, wondering where was the bus that had just run over them.

Then Jack lashed out against the last one. He had seen him punching Daniel, and no one messed with his lover and lived to tell the tale. He smacked his jaw with his elbow, a loud crack indicating that he had reached his goal. The goon fell on his ass, clutching his broken jaw. The three of them looked at each other with haunted eyes, stood up on their feet, and dragged their battered bodies away from the alley.

Jack considered running after them and finish the job, but he dismissed the idea and drew his attention back to his lover. Daniel was leaning against the wall, his hands still grasping his stomach.

“Hey, you ok?” Jack asked in concern, moving closer.

Daniel looked at him with pain-filled eyes. He was breathing in quick gasps and his face was pale and sweaty.

“N-n-n-o,” he stammered, and turned a hand to show the bloodstained palm to his lover.

Jack felt an invisible fist squeezing his heart, and all air rushed out of his lungs.

“Dammit, Daniel!” How he could talk when he couldn’t even breathe, was incomprehensible to him.

Jack ran towards his lover and reached him the moment the archaeologist’s legs buckled and he fell on his knees. The older man kneeled next to him and cradled his body on his lap.

“J'ck…”

“Danny, Danny, ohshitohshitohshitohshit!”

Jack quickly grabbed his cell phone and called an ambulance. Then he pulled up his lover’s shirt to check the damage. Blood was gushing from a knife wound below his navel.

“Oh, God, Dan-ny,” the General’s voice cracked. He put his palm on the wound and pressed hard to stop the bleeding.

Daniel groaned and Jack looked at him with eyes bright with unshed tears. The archaeologist’s face crumpled in pain and his entire body began to shake. Had the goon really withdrawn the knife? Because sure as hell he felt as if was still piercing his gut mercilessly.

“Hang on, baby, you’re gonna be ok, you hear me?” Tears rolled down Jack’s face. His mind wandered fifteen years back when he cradled a much smaller body exactly the same way. A strong feeling of dread took over his heart and he let out a loud, strangled sob.

Daniel cracked open his eyes. They were unfocused and glassy, and Jack’s heart sank to his feet. “J'ck… h'rts…”

“I know, baby, I know. Help is coming, you’ll be ok. Please, hang on, hang on…” The General's trembling voice faded to a whisper. This couldn’t be happening. Images of a dying Charlie kept assaulting his mind.

“So- sorry… to… ruin the da-day…” a new spasm of sharp pain hit Daniel. Fire ran from his gut to every cell of his body. “Oh, God…” He arched his back and squeezed his eyes shut as he bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. He raised a hand reflexively and clung to his lover’s arm.

“Shhhh, save your strength. You didn’t ruin anything, God, Danny.”

Daniel began to hyperventilate and tightened his grip on Jack’s sleeve. He half-opened his eyes again, but he couldn’t focus. His face had lost all color.

“Hey, look at me, look at me,” Jack pleaded. “I'm here, and you’re gonna be ok, you hear me?” After everything they had been through, Jack would not let his lover die, not like that, not now, not ever.

The younger man nodded weakly.

Jack checked the wound. It was bleeding just the same. “Dammit, where is that fucking ambulance?!” He grumbled through clenched teeth as he added some more pressure against his lover’s belly. Daniel let out a sound between a cry and a sob. God, his gut was on fire. The pain was overwhelming, and it was hard to breathe.

‘I'm sorry, I'm sorry…” Jack’s voice broke.

“S' ok.” His voice was barely audible.

The wail of an ambulance sounded far away.

“Help is coming, Danny, please, hang on, I love you, God, I love you, don’t give up, I’m here, everything is gonna be fine.”

“’kay…”

“Hang on, God, we’re just beginning, don’t give up, you hear me? We’re just beginning," Jack’s last word cracked into a sob.

“’kay… mhff!” The archaeologist pressed his lips together as a new wave of pain hit him hard.

“Dan-ny… God… Dan-ny…”

Daniel wanted to keep his eyes open, but his eyelids felt too heavy. He could feel how what was left of his energy was slipping fast. Then the pain started to recede, but he was feeling so tired… He couldn’t feel his limbs anymore.

“I’m here, baby, hang on, hang on…”

Why did Jack sound so far away? “T’red,” Daniel whispered.

“I know, baby, I know, but you have to hang on.” Jack was desperate. He could feel the warm blood leaking through his fingers. Damn, he couldn’t stop the bleeding.

Daniel’s hand loosened his grip and slid along Jack’s body until it fell boneless to the ground.

“J’ck… you here?”

“God, Danny, I’m here, I’m here, I’m not going anywhere, I’m here, I’m here…” Jack repeated in his despair.

“J’ck…”

“Shhh… save your strength.”

“I d’nt wanna die.”

An iron fist slammed into the older man’s gut. “God, no, baby, you’re not gonna die, help’s coming, you just need to hang on a little longer.” Jack fought with all his strength to fight back new tears.

“J’ck… love… you…” Daniel muttered. Then his eyes rolled back and his body went limp.

“Danny?” the enormous lump in the General’s throat barely let him speak. “Danny!” He shook his lover, who had stopped moving. And breathing? “Danny! No! Nononono… Dan-ny!”

Suddenly, Jack felt firm hands grabbing his shoulders and unknown voices surrounded him. He resisted, but the hands didn’t loosen. Was there someone talking to him? The voice sounded urgent.

“Sir, please, allow us to do our job! You must move so we can attend your friend!”

Jack looked around him, dazed. He hadn’t even realized the ambulance and the police had arrived. Two medics kneeled next to Daniel and began to assess his condition. Jack’s brain finally caught on to what was going on around him. Someone grabbed him by the arm.

“Sir, come with me, please. Are you injured?”

“What?” Jack’s confused mind registered the young medic that was trying to take him to the ambulance. “I'm ok, I'm ok, I'm not hurt. Please, help Daniel, help Daniel,” he pleaded with watery eyes.

“He’s in good hands, sir. I'm Joe. What’s your name?” the young medic asked in a calm tone.

“Ja-Jack, I'm Jack.”

“Please, come with me, Jack,” Joe invited softly.

Jack nodded weakly and allowed the young medic to take him to the ambulance. He sat down on the back part, where Joe assessed his condition. The General held his breath as he watched anxiously the frantic movement around his lover. The medics inserted an IV in Daniel’s wrist put an oxygen mask on his face and applied pressure on the wound. The gauzes dyed in red as soon as they applied them. He couldn’t understand what they were saying, but he caught some words here and there- pressure dropping… bleeding internally… shock… That meant he was still alive, right?

After several minutes of frantic action, the medics lay the archaeologist on a gurney, secured him, and rushed towards the ambulance.

“Joe, advise the ER, abdominal trauma by a stab wound. Tell them to prep an OR ASAP, ETA five minutes.”

In one minute they settled Daniel in the ambulance. Jack sat next to him. He wanted to hold his hand and whisper to him words of comfort, but the medics were still hovering over him, attaching machinery to his very pale torso and injecting stuff into the IV. The General scrubbed his hand through his hair anxiously. Daniel lay still, way too still. The upper part of his chinos was soaked in blood. Jack didn’t remember how much blood a human being could lose and still be alive. New images of a dying Charlie struck him. He tried to shove those thoughts away, but Daniel’s body covered in blood, the stains in his own hands… the situation was way too similar. He had to appeal to all his military training for not to fall into hysterics and start yelling at the medics to not let his son die.

No, no, no. This wasn’t Charlie. This was Daniel, and he would be alright because any other option was just unthinkable. Jack felt new tears sliding along his face, but ignored them and kept concentrated on his lover, sending him mental messages of love and comfort.

As soon as the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the medics whisked Daniel to the OR. A nurse accompanied Jack to the admission counter, where he filled the pertinent form and asked him to wait in the waiting room. Before he could have the chance to get there, two police officers approached Jack to take his statement, but there wasn’t much to tell. He introduced himself and gave them Daniel’s personal information. Officially they were two bachelor colleagues that shared the same house, nothing uncommon. The goons just appeared from nowhere and attacked them with just because. The police officers had no reason to doubt the word of a former Air Force General, so they just thanked him for the information and said that they would do everything they could, but that usually, those cases remained unresolved.

The police officers saluted and left. Jack went to the waiting room and as soon as he hit the chair, the adrenaline rush plummeted and he began to shake uncontrollably. He had been building in his mind his future with his partner. He had been wanting to share those dreams with him that night, and now… This couldn’t end like that. No. The simple thought was unbearable. Daniel had to be ok, he had to; he had to; he had to… But he had thought the same when they had whisked Charlie into the ER. And Charlie had died. Jack wrapped his arms tightly around his midriff, leaned forward, and cried silently.

He had never felt so alone and desperate since he had moved to Washington, except for that time three years ago when he had thought Daniel was dead. Fortunately, it had been just an alien ruse. This time it was real. Daniel was in the OR fighting for his life.

He missed his family. Carter and Teal’c should be at his side. Hammond and Cassie, too. It wasn’t the same at the Pentagon, not even close. He hadn’t bothered to build new bonds. Except for one person and his partner. Well, actually it was Daniel who had the closest friendship with them. Years ago, the then Major had made a pass at the archaeologist who of course rejected him. He and his partner were the only ones who knew about the actual relationship between the general and the scholar. After Daniel’s rejection he had kept his friendship with the archaeologist, and shortly after he had met his current lover, Max, a professor at the University of Indian origin, an expert in ancient languages, who worked also as an extern consultant for the SGC. The two couples had hanged out a few times. Jack took a few breaths to compose himself, brushed his tears away with the heels of his hands, grabbed his cell phone, and dialed.

“Paul? It’s Jack O’Neill.”

***

Colonel Paul Davis and his partner Max spotted Jack as soon as they stepped into the waiting room and rushed towards him.

“Oh, my God,” Davis whispered when he saw the shirt soaked in blood. He sat down on the chair next to the older man. “General, what happened? How is Daniel?”

Max sat down on the other side to give his support. Both men were pale and their faces were contorted with concern.

“Paul, Max, thanks for coming.” Puffy red-rimmed eyes greeted the two men. “I'm sorry, I… I just needed to call someone.”

“It’s ok, General,” Paul soothed him. “We’re both friends of Daniel.” He was shocked by Jack’s appearance. He had thick tear tracks along his face and his eyelashes were damp. He had never seen him like this.

“How is he?” Max asked. As languages as common ground, Max had quickly got along with Daniel since they met, and two years later he considered him a good friend.

“I… I don’t know. They took him to the OR almost an hour ago. God, guys, it’s bad, it’s bad…” Jack’s voice cracked at the last word.

“What happened?” Paul asked anxiously.

“We… we went to a restaurant. It’s Danny's birthday, you know. Forty-six,” he explained with a broken voice. “We were going to catch a taxi to go home when… when those goons appeared from nowhere and attacked us.”

“With no reason?” Max asked with a frown.

“They… they saw us holding hands. They called us queers and attacked us.” Jack let out a shivering sob. “I got rid of them, but not before one of them had the chance to stab Daniel in the gut.” Jack started to tremble and new fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.

Paul squeezed his shoulder in support. Then he whispered something to his partner, and Max nodded and left the room. A few minutes later he came back with a clean t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Jack looked at the clothes dumbfounded until he realized he was soaked with his lover’s blood. He thanked Max and went to the bathroom to change. His hands were also stained with Daniel’s blood. The palms, the back, under the nails. He washed them thoroughly and sobbed bitterly as the dyed water formed a whirlpool and twirled down the drain, taking with it a piece of his lover’s life.

***

For the next four hours, the three friends shared a lot of coffee and few words. None of them wanted to express their fears out loud. Paul had called the SGC to inform Landry about the situation. Past this time, a medic came asking for the family of Daniel Jackson. Jack bolted off the chair.

“I’m Jack O’Neill, Daniel’s partner,” he said openly. Paul and Max exchanged looks of alarm. Maybe it wasn’t the wisest movement for an Air Force General. This wasn’t a military hospital, but still… Anyway, at the moment there were more important matters, like the archaeologist’s welfare.

“Mr. O’Neill, I’m Dr. Rickman, I operated on Mr. Jackson.”

“How is he? Is he ok?” Jack asked anxiously. The answer to that question would determine the rest of his life. If Daniel hadn’t made it… sayonara baby, adiós.

“He’s alive,” the doctor stated.

Jack heard a twin sigh of relief at his sides. Both Paul and Max squeezed his shoulders in support.

“It was close. The blade penetrated six inches in his abdomen and nicked an artery,” the doctor explained.” We almost lost him on the table, but we finally could stop the bleeding. We had to remove a part of his small intestine.”

“Is he going to be ok?” Paul asked, noticing that Jack had difficulties to find his voice.

“He was breathing on his own, but the oxygen levels were a bit low. We intubated him to be on the safe side, so we’ll keep him sedated for now. If everything is alright, we’ll remove the ventilator tomorrow. We’ll have him under strict observation for 48 hours. Due to the location of the wound, the risk of infection is elevated. There might be other complications, like post-op bleeding. He isn’t out of the woods yet. We’ll know more tomorrow.”

“Can I see him?” Jack finally asked.

“He is in post-op now. We’ll move him to the ICU in a couple of hours. You’ll be able to see him in the morning. He is stable now. I suggest you go and take some rest.”

“Thanks,” Jack muttered.

The doctor nodded and left.

Jack let out a loud sound between a sigh and a sob and suddenly clung to Paul as if he was a lifeline. The colonel, surprised, didn’t react at first. He wasn’t used to this display of emotions, and much less from Jack O’Neill. He was glad to see that under his mask of macho badass General, Jack was a sensitive man able to break his walls when needed. Paul returned the hug while Max rubbed his back, both men whispering words of comfort.

After several seconds, Jack pulled away. “Hmm, sorry, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have… hmm.”

“It’s ok, Jack,” Paul reassured him. He never used his first name, but at the moment it didn’t seem appropriate to call him by his rank. “I understand. If something like this happened to Max ...”

“You are a good man, Davis. Daniel is lucky to have friends like you both,” Jack smiled softly.

“Not as lucky as having you as his partner, Sir,” Paul returned the smile.

“Why don’t you guys go home and rest?” The General suggested. “You’ve heard the doctor.”

“Only if you go, too,” Max said. “Go home, take a rest. You need to keep your strength for Daniel.”

“I won’t leave him, guys,” Jack shook his head adamantly. “Daniel isn’t out of the woods yet. I need to be here, I need to know if he’s going to be alright.”

“Ok, then we're not going anywhere either,” Max said firmly. “We’re worried, too. I don’t think I could sleep a wink, anyway.”

Jack saw the determination both in Max's and Paul’s eyes, and he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

“Ok, you win,” he sighed. “Thank you, guys,” he added softly. He had to admit to himself that the company was welcome. His concern about Daniel was eating him alive. Besides, his tough military mask had already crumbled in front of his friends, and although he had felt embarrassed at the first moment, now he was grateful that he could express his fears openly to them.

***

Three hours later, a nurse approached the trio, and they shot off their chairs in an instant. She informed them that Daniel's condition continued stable. He had been moved to the ICU and Jack could see him in a few minutes. The three men sighed in relief and thanked her.

“Guys, go home and have some rest. I will be fine,” Jack said. “I'll keep you informed.”

Paul looked at his watch. It was 6:00 AM. He was due to be at the Pentagon in a couple of hours and Max had work to do at the university, so they reluctantly agreed.

Once they left, Jack sat down again, leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, and covered his eyes with the heels of his hands. Daniel was going to be ok. He had to, he had to, he had to… The sudden presence of the nurse snapped him from his spiral of thoughts.

“Mr. O’Neill, you can see Mr. Jackson now, please, come with me.”

She accompanied him to the ICU area. Once there she gave him some medical equipment to wear- a gown, shoe covers, a bouffant cap, and a surgical mask. Dr. Rickman came to meet him.

“Mr. O’Neill,” he greeted rather emotionlessly. “Mr. Jackson remains stable, although his condition is still serious. We’ll be monitoring him closely during the day. He has a low-grade fever, which indicates a growing infection. We are treating him with antibiotics. Let’s hope it won’t extend and won’t be further complications. You can see him now.”

Jack muttered his thanks and let a nurse to lead him to Daniel’s ICU room. Every time Daniel got hurt, Jack said to himself that he was prepared to deal with it. He had a lot of experience in the matter, after all, right? Hell, he had even seen his lover die more than once. And yet, no matter what sort of mental preparation he tried, every time he saw his partner in a hospital bed, hooked to all those fancy machines, the result was the same. A direct punch in the gut. It wasn’t different this time.

Jack suppressed a sob and felt his heart-shattering at the view of the archaeologist. He moved closer and sat at his bedside. He was paler than the white sheet that was covering him, which brought out the dark circles under his eyes. Even in his sedated state, his face showed visible lines of pain. He had four different bags of fluid attached to his IV, and he was attached to all existing machinery.

Jack reached out a shaking hand and took Daniel’s pale one. Despite the fever, it felt unnaturally cold. The general swallowed the huge lump that blocked his throat.

“Danny, baby, I’m here,” he whispered, not daring to raise his voice. “I’m sorry I left you alone for a while, but they didn’t let me see you. But I won’t leave again, I’ll be here with you the whole time. I’m not going anywhere.”

The former general stopped talking when his voice cracked. He rubbed his forehead with his hand and took a deep, quivering breath. It was so unfair. Daniel, of all people, didn’t deserve so much suffering in his life. It was like he always was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Five minutes sooner or five minutes later, and they wouldn’t have come across those bastards. Jack felt the wrath building into his gut. He should have finished the job. He should have… he looked at Daniel’s slack face and stopped his line of thought. This wasn’t helping his lover right now. He had to concentrate on his recovery. Payback would come later.

Jack’s right hand moved to Daniel’s cheek and stroked it tenderly. Then he began to comb his short strands with extreme gentleness.

“I love you, baby, I love you so much. You have to be ok, you hear me? I called Paul and Max, they’re worried about you too. You gave them quite a scare, you know.” He stopped when he felt the rush of emotion threatening to overwhelm him and took several breaths before continuing talking. “God, Danny, for a while I thought… I thought I had lost you for good, I thought… God, I can’t go on without you, please be ok, be ok, be ok, be ok…" his voice trailed to nothing, and couldn’t hold it anymore. His shoulders began to shake uncontrollably as he burst into silent tears.

Jack didn’t know how long he had been crying, but he stopped by sheer exhaustion. He rested his head on the mattress next to his lover’s hand and fell asleep. Images of a dying Daniel haunted his dreams.

***

Jack woke up at the feeling of someone shaking his shoulder.

“Mr. O’Neill. Mr. O’Neill.”

Jack half-opened his eyes and looked drowsily at the nurse that was shaking his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Mr. O’Neill. We did everything we could, but Mr. Jackson's injury was too severe. The wound reopened and there was nothing we could do. I’m sorry.”

“Wha…?” Jack wide-opened his eyes and looked at the form of his lover lying on the bed.

The wound on Daniel’s belly was open, and blood was streaming freely across his abdomen. The sheets were soaked with fresh blood. Gauzes dyed in red were scattered all around the room. Daniel’s glassy, lifeless eyes were staring without seeing at the ceiling. Jack looked at his hands. They were covered with blood.

“Oh, my God, oh, my God. God, no. Nononononono.” This couldn’t be happening. Daniel was ok. The doctor said he was stable. This couldn’t be possible. “Oh, God, Danny, Danny, baby, wake up, wake up, please, please, please, Danny, Danny…” Pain exploded in Jack’s chest and everything went black.

***

Jack woke up at the feeling of someone shaking his shoulder.

“Mr. O’Neill. Mr. O’Neill.”

“Danny!!!” Jack bolted upright.

“He is ok, Mr. O’Neill. He continues stable,” a young nurse informed him.

Jack wide-opened his eyes and looked at the form of his lover lying on the bed. Daniel was sleeping under the effects of the sedative. The heart monitor marked a steady rhythm. The ventilator kept insufflating air into his lungs. No open wound. No blood. No lifeless eyes.”

“God,” Jack muttered, scrubbing his face with both hands.

“Are you ok, Mr., O’Neill?” The nurse asked in concern.

“Yes, yes… sorry, I just… uh…”

“Sir, please, you must leave the room. We need to run some tests and change Mr. Jackson’s dressing,” she said.

“Tests?”

“It’s just standard procedure.” she smiled warmly. “Nothing to worry about.”

“OK, ok.” Jack reluctantly left the room and went to the bathroom. He washed his face with trembling hands, took a few deep breaths to compose himself, and checked his watch. It was 10:00. He called Colonel Davis at the Pentagon to update him about the situation, grabbed a coffee at the cafeteria, and went back to keep vigil at Daniel’s bedside.

***

In the evening, 24 hours after the attack, Dr. Rickman was satisfied with Daniel’s oxygen levels, so he ordered the removal of the ventilator. They put a nasal cannula in its place and also stopped the sedation. However, the fever had raised a few tenths, so they increased the dosage of the antibiotic. They would keep him under strict observation for 24 hours more, but the doctor wasn’t expecting other complications. He was confident that the archaeologist would make a full recovery, although he would be in a considerable amount of pain for some time. He informed Jack that he expected his patient to wake up in the morning. The former General stayed at his lover’s bedside the whole night, waiting for any sign.

***

He was floating in a dark place. Where was he? In some sort of antigravity simulation? He didn’t remember any in his schedule. Besides, if he were in an anti-gravity environment, his body wouldn’t feel so heavy, would it? It was weird. Floating like a feather on a windy day and heavy as a rock at the same time. Suddenly he began to fall. A fast, uncontrollable, unstoppable fall. He wanted to grab onto something, but he couldn’t move. At one point he thought he had moved a hand, but it wasn’t enough. So he just kept falling, waiting for the fatal crash. He heard someone calling his name, but he couldn’t answer. He just kept falling.

Then the fall halted. Pain should be ripping through his back, but he felt nothing. Although a discomfort awakened in his belly. Had he fallen on his face? No, he could feel something solid under his back. The discomfort grew up in intensity and he tried to move but to no avail. Why was it so dark? Was it at night? He realized then that his eyes were closed. Ok, he just needed to open them and he would know what was going on. He tried it, but it was like his eyelashes were glued with cement. There it was again. That voice calling his name. And pressure. A pressure on his hand. There was someone next to him. Someone was squeezing his hand and calling his name. He wanted to reply, but he could open his mouth either. And what was that noise? Beep-beep-beep-beep. Please, someone stop the alarm clock. Had he overslept? Why couldn’t he move? He noticed something familiar. A smell. He knew that smell. Antiseptic. Infirmary? Pain flared in his belly and he groaned.

“Daniel.”

There it was, his name again.

“Baby, wake up, it’s me, I'm here, show me your baby blues.”

He wanted to reply, but his mouth was full of cotton. Why was his mouth full of cotton? He concentrated on opening his eyes.

“Danny, please open your eyes.”

Daniel’s eyelashes fluttered, and he cracked open his eyes.

“Hey, there you are.” Jack stroked his lover’s face.

“J'ck…”

“Welcome back,” the General smiled warmly under his surgical mask.

“Imf'rm’ry?”

“You are at the hospital, baby.”

“What h'ppen'd?” Daniel turned his head weakly and looked at his lover with drowsy eyes. He was wearing a medical hat and a mask. Why was he wearing that?

“You got hurt,” Jack’s voice cracked.

“Why… you wear’ng m’ask? You h’rt too?” Daniel asked widening his eyes with fear.

“No, no, I’m ok. You are at the ICU, they made me wear this,” Jack explained.

“’kay. J’ck… how… how…? Don’t rem’mber…”

“It doesn’t matter now. The important thing is that you’re going to be ok. You scared the shit out of me, you know?” The General brushed his lover’s cheek with his thumb.

“H'rts, J'ck.” The archaeologist’s face contorted in pain.

“It’s going to be ok,” Jack soothed him as he pressed the buzzer. He squeezed Daniel’s hand and gave him words of comfort while waiting for help.

Dr. Rickman came into the room, followed by a nurse.

“Mr. Jackson, I'm glad you finally join us.”

“D'ctor,” Daniel muttered.

“Yes, I'm Dr. Rickman.”

“No… it’s Dr. Dr. Jacks'n, no m'ster,” Daniel struggled to say.

Jack chuckled. Yep, Danny boy was back.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know,” Rickman raised his eyebrows. “So, hmm, Dr. Jackson, do you remember what happened?”

“B'lly… h'rts,” the archaeologist grimaced tiredly.

“Here,” the doctor said, placing a small pumper in his hand. “You can increase the dose of painkillers as you need it, just pressing this button. No worries, there’s no risk of overdose.”

“’kay.”

“Dr. Jackson, you suffered an abdominal trauma caused by a stab wound. You went through surgery. I'll explain the details later. For now, you just need to rest. You can drink some water, but just small sips. If everything is ok, we'll try some juice and soft food in a couple of days.”

Daniel nodded weakly.

“I'm going to check the wound, ok?”

“’kay.”

Rickman removed the sheet and peeled the bandage that covered Daniel’s abdomen. Jack winced at the view. A big dark bruise surrounded the wound. His blood boiled. He swore to himself he would find the authors of the attack and would make them regret it.

The doctor examined the wound thoroughly and smiled, satisfied.

“Everything looks fine,” he said. “I'll send a nurse to put a new dressing.” And he left the two lovers alone.

Jack moved a glass of water closer to Daniel’s mouth and brushed his lips with the straw.

"Small sips."

Daniel slurped weakly a couple of times. Then he looked at Jack with angst written all over his face. “St’b wound? J’ck, what h'appen'd?” he asked in a dazed voice. He felt utterly confused. The last thing he remembered was having dinner with his partner and Jack telling him that he had retired.

“We… hmm… we were attacked by three drunk pieces of scum,” Jack said through clenched teeth.

“Attack’d? Wh’re? Why?”

“We went to dinner, remember?”

Daniel frowned, closed his eyes for a few seconds. The memory of the event suddenly struck him. He stared at his lover with watery eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

“They saw us h'lding hands,” he whispered. “They call'd us queers.” A single tear escaped the corner of the archaeologist’s eye and rolled along his cheek.

“I'm so sorry, baby,” Jack’s voice cracked.

“Not yo’r fault.” Daniel squeezed his hand in support. “Not yo’r fault.”

Jack nodded weakly.

Two nurses came into the room pushing a tray with medical supplies.

“Mr. O’Neill, there are two police officers asking for you,” one of them said.

Jack supposed they had information about the case, so he thanked her and kissed Daniel’s hand before standing up.

“Be right back.”

***

Twenty minutes later the nurses finished their work and the former General could sit at his lover’s bedside again. He took his hand and entwined their fingers and looked at his partner intently. Daniel looked a bit more lucid now.

“What?” he frowned at the strange look in Jack’s eyes.

“They are dead,” the General simply stated.

“Who?”

“The men who attacked us.”

Daniel blinked at the information. “How?”

“They were battered and drunk and drove by the highway,” Jack said emotionlessly. “They lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a truck. The three of them died on the spot. The police officers showed me pictures. No doubt it was them.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Daniel winced.

“Are you in pain?” Jack asked quickly, focusing on what was important. Those bastards were dead. A bit too fast for his taste, but dead nonetheless.

“It’s bearable,” the archaeologist said softly.

All of a sudden, Daniel’s face contorted in anguish and Jack tensed.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” the older man asked in concern.

The archaeologist bit his lip and looked away. Jack could see the gears in his brain working full speed.

“Danny?”

“When we are in Colorado, we'll be able to live openly as a couple, right?” the archaeologist asked with a weak tone.

“Of course. As we always wished.”

“Is it going to be like this?” He looked at Jack with pain-filled eyes.

“God, Danny,” Jack took his hand and brought it to his lips. How was he going to comfort his partner after what had happened? Ten minutes. Ten minutes as a free couple is all they had enjoyed before the new nightmare had struck.

“They… they attacked us ’cause we were h’lding hands. What sense does your ret’rement make if we have to keep hid’ng?” Daniel’s eyes were bright with unshed tears.

Jack took a deep breath to undo the knot in his stomach. “Daniel, they attacked us because they were drunk and probably high, and they were up for a fight. If we hadn’t been holding hands they would have found any other reason.”

Daniel shook his head. “They called us queers. Obviously, that bothered them.”

Jack wanted to believe his own words, to reassure his lover, to tell him it was bullshit. But he couldn’t find in his heart the strength to do it convincingly. Maybe those bastards would have found another excuse to attack them, but the truth was that they had pointed to the act of holding hands. And it had been Jack’s idea. And he was feeling terribly guilty at the moment.

“Baby… this, what happened to you, is something terrible, and I'm so sorry I couldn’t protect you. But I swear to God, that I'll commit the rest of my life to protect you if necessary.”

“But… but… what happens if next time is you?” A tear escaped the corner of Daniel’s eye and slid down his cheek. When he saw the haunted look on Jack’s face, he bowed his head. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm going overboard. You’re right, they were stoned,” he slurred. “I don’t want to build this relationship based on fear, but… Jack, even if we’re both civilian now and the military regulations don’t apply to us, we still will work on a military environment.”

“And you think we could be a target.”

“Jack is not what I think.” Daniel was talking slowly, making plain his lack of strength. “With the DADT policy, our own governm’nt is telling the military that homosexuality is wrong. What do you think would happ’n if we came into the SGC holding hands? You said it yourself bef’re. You've been in the Air Force for forty years. For sure you've witness’d the bigotry first-row many times. I'm worried ‘bout you, Jack.”

The former General started at his lover open-mouthed stunned. He was speechless. Daniel had been brutally attacked. He was lying on a hospital bed with a hole in his gut that could store a pumpkin, and he was worried about him?

“I’m not st’pid, you know.” Daniel continued wearily. “I've heard people talk’ng for years. Half of the base think I'm bisexual ‘cause of Sha’re, and the other half that I'm manif’stly gay. But I’m not military, so I guess they don’t really care. But you… Jack, you w’re the General, some people aren’t gonna take it well, you know. They could want to h’rt you, I-I-I never really thought about this, but af-after the attack, I-I… God, Jack, if anything ha-happen’d to you, I-I-I…”

Jack’s alarms fired when he heard his lover stammering. He needed to stop him before he started hyperventilating and triggering a full-scale panic attack, not to mention opening his wound. He didn’t know what he could say to calm him down, so as the man of action he was, he acted.

“… I-I-I could never forgive my-myself if they hurt you be-be-because of mmmmhhhhffff…”

Caught off guard, Daniel could do nothing but savor the delicate sweetness of his lover’s lips. He was too weak to push him away, so he stayed there, flat on his back, allowing Jack to conduct the kiss as if it was the most gentle symphony.

“I love you so much, baby, so much,” the former General said with emotion when he broke the kiss. “And this, what we have, is stronger than anything. Bigotry exists, I'm not denying that, and I can’t promise that we'll be safe the whole time. If there is any problem, we’ll deal with it as it comes up. If it ever comes up. The only thing I know for sure is how I feel for you. I’m proud of being your partner and I’m not going to hide it. I'll do everything in my hand to protect you and myself, but even in the remote possibility that something like this would happen to me, I know I'd pull through it, because you are my strength, and as long as you are in my life and in my bed, I can beat anything. Anything.”

Daniel was hypnotized by the resolve he could read in the older man’s dark eyes, and he felt a rush of emotion empowering his heart. He looked at him with sheer devotion. At the moment, he felt it was impossible to be more in love with that man. More tears gathered in the corners of his eyes and they spilled uncontrollably. Jack leaned forward and kissed them away, one by one. Then he kissed his forehead, his damp cheeks again, and his lips, briefly this time.

“Besides,” Jack smiled, “do you think we are the only same-sex couple on the SGC?”

“You know of others?” Daniel looked at him, mouth agape.

“Well, I have my suspicious, let’s see- Thompson and Martin, Beret and Jones, White and Garcia, Harriman and Siler…?

“What?” Daniel chocked. “Walter and Siler? You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope.”

“Huh.”

Jack laughed at the view of his partner’s shocked expression. Then his face became serious again.

“Danny, let me ask you something,” he said softly. “Do you blame me for what happened to you?”

The archaeologist stared at his lover, horrified.

“What?!” he exclaimed the loudest he could in his frail condition. Then he suddenly gasped and clutched his stomach as his face crumpled in pain. “God!”

“Crap, Danny!” Jack exclaimed, alarmed. He added a bit of pressure to his lover’s hand as he rubbed the thumb of his right hand across his forehead to soothe him. “Breathe, baby, breathe, I'm here, just breathe!”

Daniel’s eyes snapped open. “I'm gonna be sick,” he groaned.

Jack pressed the buzzer repeatedly, and as the archaeologist began to gag, two nurses rushed into the room quickly turned him on his side. Since Daniel’s stomach was empty, he just dry heaved painfully.

“Page Dr. Rickman,” one of the nurses said, and her colleague left the room.

Jack watched with horror and impotence how his lover’s face reddened as he tightened the grip on his belly. The nurse held him as the retching sent excruciating spasms through his body.

In less than a minute, Dr. Rickman came into the room, followed by the nurse who had come before. “Mr. O’Neill, please, wait outside the room,” he ordered firmly as he rushed towards Daniel.

Jack looked at the scene in shock. He felt pressure on his arm.

“Please, Mr. O’Neill, we'll take care of your partner,” the young nurse smiled at him. And with her help, he staggered out of the room. The last thing he saw before leaving the room was the blood leaking through Daniel’s fingers.

Jack leaned against the wall in the hallway, panting heavily. Images of Daniel bleeding to death assaulted his mind. Daniel with glassy, lifeless eyes staring at him accusatory. Bile rose in his throat. He bolted to the nearest bathroom, rushed into a stall, and threw up.

***

Jack lost track of time as he rested his forehead on the toilet. He knew he needed to go back to Daniel’s room, to check on him. God, what if the wound had reopened, and he had bled to death, like in his nightmare? Like Charlie? The former General was lost in a turmoil of thoughts and emotions and couldn’t pull himself together. He got up slowly and leaned on the sink. He was shaking from head to toe. As he washed with cold water his face and mouth, he looked away from the gaunt stranger who was staring at him from the mirror. He staggered out of the bathroom, slumped on the first chair he saw and buried his face into his hands.

“Sir?”

Jack didn’t hear the voice calling him.

“Sir?”

“Jack!”

Jack startled at the call and the touch on his shoulder and unburied his face to meet the worried faces of Colonel Davis and Max.

“Sir, are you ok?” Paul asked in concern

“Is Daniel? Has anything happened to him?” Max asked anxiously.

“Loose the *Sir*, Paul. I'm retired,” Jack said vacantly.

“Retired? What!? When!?” the Colonel exclaimed in surprise.

“I told Daniel yesterday at the restaurant,” Jack explained, emotionless. “That’s why I took his hand when we left. That’s why those bastards attacked us. That’s why Daniel is lying on that bed fighting for his life.” He looked at the Colonel with haunted eyes. “I did that to him, Paul. And he knows it, and he blames me, and he’s right. Danny is always right,” Jack's voice cracked.

“Sir… huh… Jack, why do you say that? Daniel would never blame you for something like that.” Paul was at a loss.

“I don’t do any good to him. He'd be better without me.” A single tear escaped the corner of Jack’s eye and slid along his cheek.

“Jack,” Paul’s voice was strong and firm, “since you’re no longer my superior officer, I'm free to say this without risking to be court-martialed. Have you completely lost your mind?!!

That definitely caught Jack’s attention. He looked at the younger man, dumbfounded.

“Do you really think for a second that Daniel would blame you for something like that?”

“Paul is right,” Max agreed with his partner. “I've seen the way he looks at you, how his face enlightens when you enter the room. He loves… no, he feels sheer devotion to you. For all I know about his life, you’re the best thing that ever happened to him, and he would never in a million years blame you for this mess.”

Jack blinked repeatedly at the linguist's words.

“Jack, what happened? Why aren’t you with him?” Paul asked, still confused by the situation.

“We-we were talking about what happened,” Jack explained in a low voice, “and I asked him if he thought it was my fault, and he had an attack or something, I don’t know. He got sick, and the doctor told me to leave. He was bleeding again, Paul.” Jack broke and let the tears fall freely.

Paul looked at his partner and made a motion with his head. Max nodded in understanding and walked fast towards the ICU area.

“Paul, I'm supposed to take care of him, but I'm screwing up over and over again. And now I might have killed him,” A loud sob escaped his lips, and began to tremble like a leaf.

The colonel squeezed the older man’s shoulder in support. “Sir… huh, Jack, you said the doctor was with him, it’s going to be ok, you hear me? And Max is right. You and Daniel are meant to be together. What happened to you was the act of a bunch of short-minded despicable scumbags, and they are the only ones to blame.”

Jack shook his head. “He told me he’s afraid for me, you know. I got a position at SGC as a civilian consultant. He fears that some bigot attacks me someday. That’s what triggered the attack. He might be bleeding to death right now, and all because of me.” He continued sobbing uncontrollably.

Paul didn’t know what to say to calm him down. Fortunately, Max came running and kneeled in front of the older man. He squeezed his knee to catch his attention.

“Jack! He’s ok. Daniel is ok, you hear me? He got a reaction to the antibiotic, but he is ok now.”

Jack looked at his friend, bewildered. “But… but he was bleeding, he was bleeding…”

“A stitch loosened, but the doctor patched him. He is ok. He is ok. It was nothing you said, it was the antibiotics. They changed the medicine, and he’s going to be ok.”

Paul looked at his partner and raised his eyebrows. “How did you get so much information? They never tell anything unless you’re a family member.”

“Oh, I told them I'm his brother,” Max shrugged.

Both Paul and Jack looked puzzled at Max’s dark Indian features, and suddenly they burst into laughs. Max grinned widely.

“C’mon. Daniel’s waiting for you,” he patted the older man on the arm.

***

“We gave him a mild-sedative,” Dr. Rickman informed Jack. “It’s possible that he sleeps for a few hours.”

“Is he really ok?” the former general asked with caution.

“The loosened stitch didn’t make any additional damage. It was just a minor bleeding, and we gave him some medicine to control the nausea. In a few hours, he should feel much better.”

Jack nodded and stepped into the room. He wanted to believe Dr. Rickman’s words, but a feeling of dread invaded his heart as he slowly approached his partner. He sat on the chair and took Daniel’s hand in his. The archaeologist cracked open his eyes.

“Hey,” he said groggily.

“Hey,” Jack answered softly. “I thought you were sleeping.”

“Couldn’t. I was worried ‘bout you,” Daniel slurred. “Where were you?”

“Oh, just outside. Paul and Max came. They’re both care about you.”

“Jack, are you ok?” the archaeologist asked, noticing this lover’s troubled expression.

“I’m ok now, but you almost gave me a heart attack.” Jack let out a sound between a laugh and a sob.

“S’rry.”

“Try to sleep baby, you need to regain your strength.” Jack reached out a hand and carded his hair lovingly.

“Can’t. Need to ask you s’mething.”

“What?”

“Why do u think I blame you for what h’ppened to me?”

Jack froze, shocked by the sadness in Daniel’s tone. The expression of pain that was written on his face had nothing to do with the physical ache in his gut.

“You… huh…” Jack swallowed hard, “you said before that you could never forgive yourself if I got hurt because of you. And well, you got hurt, and it was my idea to hold your hand, so you may think it was because of me and well, then you wouldn't forgive me.” Jack swallowed hard.

Daniel's heart broke when he realized how much his lover was hurting.

“God, Jack, no, no, I loved it when you took my hand, you didn’t force me. It wasn’t your fault, no, please, never think like this.”

“I know, Paul and Max already convinced me of that. But then, if the situation was reversed, why do you think it would have been your fault? Why the same rule doesn’t apply to you?” Jack's voice faded to a cracked whisper.

Daniel closed his eyes for several seconds, trying to process Jack’s words. Dammit. His guilt issues had come back to bite him in the ass. He wouldn’t let them. He had learned the lesson years ago. He opened his eyes and saw warm chocolate orbs looking at him and a sad smile.

“I did it again.” Daniel looked away in shame and shook his head weakly.

Jack grabbed his chin and forced eye contact.

“Baby, we both did,” Jack said softly. “I felt guilty for a while, too. If I hadn’t taken his hand… if I had reacted faster…”

“I guess old habits die hard,” Daniel whispered.

When you had that attack before, here, in this room, I thought it was because of what I said,” the older man continued.

“Jack, God, no, no, the doctor said it was the medicines, “ Daniel said alarmed.

“Yeah, I know, but I freaked out for a while, you know. I thought you were bleeding and…”

“Hey, hey, I'm ok. And nothing of this is your fault. It was those slimy bastards.”

“I know.”

“Correction- those dead slimy bastards,” Daniel slurred as his eyes began to close.

Jack chuckled. “Looks like the doc's magic is kicking in.”

“Mhmm.”

“Try to sleep. You have a lot of strength to recover.”

“’kay.”

“Daniel?”

“Mhm?”

“I love you. More than anything. Forever.”

“F'rever.”

Jack smiled and gave his lover a brief kiss on his lips. He leaned back on his chair and proceeded to do his favorite pastime- watching his lover’s beautiful face while he slept.

***

For the next two days, Daniel continued improving his condition. He tried some juice and soft food and both settled well in his stomach, so they moved him from the ICU to a regular room. He was playing cards with Jack when Paul and Max came to visit.

“Hi, guys,” he greeted them happily.

“Daniel, you look good,” Paul said. “You gave us quite a scare.”

“Yeah, so I’ve been told,” the archaeologist bit his lower lip. “Sorry about that.”

“Not your fault, Daniel,” Max said firmly. “Don’t even think that for a second.”

“Keep telling him, and maybe someday he’ll believe you,” Jack snorted.

“Jaaaack,” Daniel protested. “I know it wasn’t my fault, nor yours for that matter. We had already established that.”

“It’s good to hear you saying it, though,” Jack grinned.

Max sat on the bed at Daniel’s feet, and Jack offered his chair to Paul. The older man sat on the bed next to his lover and entwined their hands.

“So, how are you feeling?” Max asked, patting Daniel’s leg in support.

“The wound aches a bit, but at least I’m not in excruciating pain anymore,” Daniel moved slightly to get more comfortable and winced. “I don’t recommend the experience.”

The three visitors noticed the shadow that darkened the archaeologist’s eyes.

“Daniel,” Max started, “you had a terrible experience, but it doesn’t have to happen again.”

Daniel ducked his head. “I know,” he muttered.

“You do?” Max tilted his head, trying to glimpse the other man’s expression.

Jack squeezed his lover’s hand. “He’s right, you know?” The former General had witnessed how the incident had triggered Daniel’s insecurities about their public show of affection.

“Fate made that you were at the wrong place at the wrong moment,” Paul added. “It was unfortunate, but don’t let that spoil your chance to have a normal relationship with Jack. Those bastards are dead. They can’t hurt you anymore.”

“There can be others,” Daniel looked at him with a spark of fear in his eyes. “What about the SGC? Don’t you think they can be a bit surprised about Jack?”

“Daniel, I’ve been gay my whole life,” Paul explained. “Not even bi-sexual. Just plain and exclusively gay. I’ve been in the Air Force for almost thirty years. Of course, I had to hide it, but anyway, half of the military men and women I’ve worked with suspected it at some point. During all those years, all I got was a few insults and shoves when I was a cadet, but no one ever hurt me because of that. Why do you think DADT exist? There is a gay community in the military as much as any other place. What happened to you was extremely unusual.”

Davis looked at Jack for support. The older man smiled and nodded.

“As a civilian, I never had to hide my sexuality,” Max explained. “Of course bigotry exists, and like Paul, I’ve had my little doses of insults here and there, but I never had any serious problem. I’ve got biggest affronts for being a geek,” he shrugged.

“That you can deal with!” Jack teased Daniel.

“Huh.”

Jack cupped his lover’s beautiful face with both hands. “Danny, we’ve been waiting to finally be together for so long. Please, don’t be afraid. Everyone appreciates you at the SGC, and they respect both of us. We’ll be ok.” He stared at the archaeologist trying to transmit trust and security through his eyes.

Daniel got lost in his lover’s warm chocolate orbs and he suddenly felt safe and protected. Jack’s bright gaze gave him all the strength he needed, and he knew that everything would be alright. The older man brushed his full lips with his thumb and they locked their mouths together in a long and gentle kiss. When they broke the kiss, Daniel saw that Paul and Max were looking at them, grinning from ear to ear.

“Thanks, guys,” the archaeologist nodded and smiled shyly in appreciation. “Your support means a lot to me.”

“You sure you both want to go back to Colorado?” Max wrinkled his nose.

“Yeah,” Daniel shrugged. “Is where our life is. I will miss you, guys.”

“We’ll come to visit,” Paul assured him.

“Oh, yes, you better do that, colonel,” Jack pointed him with his fingers. “That’s an order.”

“You’re a civilian,” Paul chuckled. “You can’t give me orders anymore.”

Daniel laughed at Jack’s face. “Ouch! Don’t make me laugh!” he said, clutching his belly. “Patient recovering here.”

“Sorry, sorry, baby, are you ok?” Jack hurried to assess his lover’s condition.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, I just pulled the stitches a bit.”

“You sure?”

“Jaaaack.”

“What?”

“I love you. And I’m eager to get out of here and start our new life.”

“Me too, baby, me too.”

***

**Two months later**

Two months after the attack, Jack and Daniel were back to Colorado Springs to stay. Daniel had stayed at the hospital for two weeks until the minor infection had been completely eliminated. The archaeologist was due to go back to work the next day, although still in light duties. In his new position as a civil consultant, Jack didn’t need to go to the base every day, just when his expertise was required. Daniel could also do part of his job from home. That new arrangement would allow them to enjoy each other’s company a lot of time during working days. It would even allow them to spend several days at the cabin in Minnesota from time to time.

There was only one thing missing to get the icing on the cake- sex. Daniel’s recovery had been long and painful, so for weeks, they had to stick to gentle kisses and touches under the covers. Daniel had noticed that Jack avoided specifically the area of the scar. The archaeologist had the feeling that Jack was somehow afraid of hurting him. He wasn’t feeling one hundred percent yet, but he felt strong enough to recover his sex life the way it was before. So that afternoon, while Jack was at the SGC in a meeting with Landry to clear some points about his functions, Daniel went to the bedroom and got ready for his partner.

Jack arrived home and called for Daniel. Not getting a response, he went directly to the bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. When he opened the door, he froze and stared at the scene before him, agape. Daniel was on the bed, lying on his elbow, one leg straight and the other one bent up. He was wearing Jack’s Class A blue jacket, which was completely open and thus revealed his naked torso. Jack’s General cap was covering his privates. He looked at his partner as he sensually licked his lips.

“Jesus Christ!” Jack exclaimed in sheer astonishment. His dick hardened instantaneously at the view.

“You know, I've been thinking… since you won’t need your uniform anymore, we might give it some new uses,” Daniel said in a husky voice.

Jack’s dick throbbed painfully against his pants. He quickly stripped to his boxers, jumped on the bed, and straddled Daniel on his straightened leg. He launched towards his mouth and began to kiss him fervently. Daniel lay on his back and responded to the kiss with equal passion as his hands ran frantically trough Jack’s hair and along his back. The older man kissed his partner everywhere he could reach- his face, ears, neck, collarbone…

“Jesus, baby… I love you… missed you… missed this so much… so beautiful… so sexy…” he muttered between kisses.

“God Jack, love you… love you… make love to me.”

“You sure?”

“God yes, I’m ok, I’m ok, don’t stop, please, I need you, make love to me,” Daniel panted in his excitement.

Jack started a trail of kisses on the archaeologist's torso. He licked and nibbled his nipples, and continued his way down, licking and kissing every inch of Daniel’s chest and stomach. The archaeologist moaned loudly to each one of his partner’s ministrations. Daniel’s sounds made Jack’s cock harden even more. It turned him on big time the fact that the younger man was so responsive to his touch. When he reached his navel, he kissed the hollow and swirled his tongue inside. Then the former General grabbed the cap, which was blocking his way down, and removed it with a flick of his wrist.

And he froze.

Daniel noticed the change in the movement, or rather the lack of it. He raised up on his elbow and looked at his partner. Jack was staring at his partner’s scarred belly, completely transfixed.

“Jack?”

Light tremors were shaking the older man’s body.

“Jack?”

Daniel tried to untangle his leg, but it was effectively trapped under his lover’s weight.

“Jack, look at me, hey, look at me,” the archaeologist pleaded, trying to snap him back from where he had lost himself.

A trembling sob escaped the older man’s lips.

“Jack…” Daniel’s eyes wetted at his lover’s outward sign of angst.

“It’s so unfair,” Jack croaked. “You of all people didn’t deserve that. I'm so, so sorry.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to contain the rush of emotions that invaded him all at once- sadness, fear, love, passion, anger, compassion, hatred… “This should be the beginning of something beautiful, and now…”

“The scar,” Daniel continued, “it’s a permanent reminder of what happened.”

Jack nodded weakly. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I… I can’t,” he whispered brokenly. He moved away from his lover’s naked body and he sat on the bed. He bowed his head, drew his knees to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them, efficiently blocking himself. “When I look at it, everything comes back. I see you, broken, bleeding, dying in my arms.”

Daniel kneeled in front of him. He took his face into his hands and gently lifted his head.

“Jack, look at me, I didn’t die. I'm ok. Open your eyes, please.” The older man complied, and Daniel’s heart broke at the expression of deep sadness that darkened his lover’s chocolate orbs.

“It’s something else, isn’t it?” He asked as he swept away with his thumbs the first tears that dampened Jack’s cheeks.

The older man nodded weakly, and something clicked in Daniel’s brain.

“Charlie,” he whispered.

Jack nodded again. “The way I cradled your body in that alley…”

“… it’s the way you cradled Charlie when he…”

Another feeble nod.

“Oh, my God, Jack,” Daniel’s voice and cracked, and pulled his lover into a heartfelt hug.

Jack let out a shuddering sigh, straightened his legs to offer better access, and clung on to the archaeologist’s back. “Sara called the ambulance while I cradled him and begged him to hold on. He shot himself in the chest. He didn’t die immediately. Thank God he was unconscious and didn’t suffer. I pressed my hand on the wound as hard as I could, but the bleeding didn’t stop. In the ambulance I prayed so hard… but he died just a few minutes after we arrived at the hospital. So when…” he stopped for a second to swallow the lump in his throat,” when I was cradling you, everything came back to me. I pressed and pressed my hand on the wound, but the bleeding didn’t stop,” he sobbed.

Daniel tightened the embrace. His heart hurt immensely for his lover.

“The race in the ambulance was so similar. My hands, my clothes, were stained with blood just the same way. God, Danny, I was so scared. Of all the times you died or were hurt, I… I never cradled you like that before, and all I could see was you dying, the same horrible way Charlie did. And I love you so much, so much…” Jack’s shoulders shook as tears fell uncontrollably.

Daniel fought back his own tears and murmured words of comfort while holding his partner tightly as he released his distress. After several minutes of crying on the hollow of the archaeologist’s neck, Jack calmed down and his breathing evened.

“Will you be ok?” Daniel asked as he broke the hug and stroked his lover’s jaw.

“Yeah, it’s just, it will take some time to get used to it, to forget,” Jack replied softly.

“I will be with you all the way. We’ll get there together, eventually.”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s try to sleep a bit, ok?” Daniel brushed his lover’s tears with his thumbs and kissed him gently on the lips.

“Ok,” Jack said tiredly. He felt utterly spent.

With clumsy movements, he managed to slip under the covers. Daniel took off the Class-A jacket that was still wearing and put on his boxers. Then he lay on the bed and spooned his lover from behind. He sneaked his arm around his waist and grasped him in a protective gesture.

“Sleep well, Jack, I love you, always.”

Jack took his hand and entwined their fingers. “I love you, Danny. Forever.”

***

The next day, the two lovers went to the SGC. While Jack had a new meeting with Landry, Daniel went to meet Vala at her quarters. He knocked and a few seconds later his black-haired friend opened the door.

“Daniel! You’re back!” she launched towards him and he took her into his arms.

“When did you come back? How are you feeling? Are you alright? Don’t dare you to scare me like that again, you hear me?”

“Easy, easy,” Daniel laughed. “I’m much better, although not one hundred percent yet. Actually, I, hmm… I need your help.”

“Whatever you need, darling. So tell me, what can I do for you?”

***

**Later the same day**

Daniel arrived home around 18:00. Jack had stayed at the base until lunchtime and he had headed home afterward. The archaeologist found his partner in the bathroom, taking a shower. He half-opened the shower screen and peeped inside.

“Started without me?” Daniel teased the older man.

“Hey, baby.” Jack moved from under the water spray for a moment to peck his partner.

“Is there room for someone else?” Daniel grinned.

“Danny, I… I don’t know…” Jack sighed nervously. He didn’t want to reject his partner, but after last night, after that episode with the scar, he wasn’t sure he was ready for that yet.

“Shhh,” Daniel soothed him. “Jack, do you trust me?”

“What…? Of course. Why…?”

“Then just close your eyes, ok? Just trust me.”

“What…?”

“Shhh, close your eyes.”

As Jack complied, Daniel began to undress. He stepped into the shower stall and closed the screen.

“Danny…”

“Shhh, keep your eyes closed and trust me, ok?”

“OK,” Jack whispered, not very convinced.

Daniel stood in front of his partner and pressed his back against his torso. He took the older man’s hands and placed them palms open over his chest. Jack whimpered.

“Remember the last time we did that, Jack?” Daniel asked with emotion.

“Dammit, Daniel,” Jack swore. Of course he remembered it. It had been two months ago, the night his partner had been brutally stabbed. What the hell was Daniel playing at? He contained his urge to shove him away. The archaeologist had asked him to trust him, and he was going to do that.

Daniel grabbed Jack’s right hand and slid it down his chest and abdomen slowly. The hand moved easily on his wet skin. He felt Jack tense behind him.

“Shhh, Jack, it’s ok, it’s ok, trust me,” the archaeologist whispered.

He moved his partner’s hand below his ribs until it covered his navel. Jack whimpered again and began to tremble.

“Shhh, it’s ok, it’s ok, trust me, it’s ok,” Daniel repeated.

“Dan-ny…”

“Shhh, it’s ok.”

He slid Jack’s hand past his navel until he placed it on the lower part of his belly. His smooth, unscarred, soft belly. Jack’s eyes snapped open.

“Holy buckets!”

He turned Daniel around and looked at his abdomen. No scar. Nothing. Not a single mark. Then he glanced at Daniel’s sparkling blue eyes.

“But… what… how?” he bubbled.

“Let’s say I have friends with some remarkable skills,” Daniel grinned.

“Who? How?”

“Vala,” the archaeologist smiled. “I asked her to do a bit of magic with the healing device.” The grin widened.

“Hold on a second,” Jack blinked repeatedly. “You, Dr. Daniel *my welfare isn’t more important than anybody else’s* Jackson, used your influence to ask for a personal favor?”

“Guilty of charges.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my partner?” Jack made a face.

“Jack, don’t be an ass!”

“Holy crap, it’s really you!”

“What can I say? I got tired of being battered in and off-world. I think we deserve some long-lasting happiness for a change, don’t you agree?”

Jack stared at his partner’s eyes and drank from the love and devotion that saw in them.

“I love you so, so much,” he said before launching forward and latching their lips in a fervent kiss. Then, ignoring his ACL lesion, he got down on one knee, grabbed Daniel by the hips, and brought his lips to his belly. He kissed it hard on the spot where the scar used to be. He closed his eyes and kept his mouth glued to the now smooth skin. His tears mixed with the water that was rolling along the archaeologist’s torso. Once Jack convinced himself that he wasn’t dreaming, his lips took a new direction, and he ran a trail of kisses all around his partner’s stomach. Daniel’s erected cock was bouncing against his healed belly. Jack’s mouth descended to the younger man’s pubic area and sniffed to capture the unique scent. Then he licked his cock from root to tip.

Daniel let out a gasp, followed by a loud moan that turned into a shuddering intake of breath when the older man engulfed his erection with his mouth.

“Oh, God… Jack…” He began to rock his hips, encompassing the rhythm to Jack’s sucking.

After so many weeks of pain, both physical and emotional, it felt so good. Jack put all his soul on the task at hand, or rather at mouth. His talented tongue swirled around Daniel's erection licking, slurping, savoring, sending his partner to the seventh heaven. The younger man tangled his fingers among Jack’s hair, which was a bit longer than usual now that he was retired. Jack’s right hand snaked down until he reached Daniel’s balls and the archaeologist moaned even louder as the older man’s fingers fondled them. Then the hand slinked past Daniel’s perineum and he gasped when he felt a finger enter his hole tentatively.

“Jack… yes… please… please…”

Jack’s long finger slid inside and hit the younger man’s prostate.

“Ooooh… God…”

Daniel whimpered when he felt the finger withdrawing, but automatically moaned again when he felt two of them reaching the same goal. When Jack inserted a third finger, his legs began to tremble. With all that, the older man’s skilled mouth kept licking, nibbling, and sucking his partner's cock. Daniel started to pant heavily as he felt the orgasm building inside him.

“Oh God, oh yes, oh yes Jack… Jack… Jack… ohgodohgodohgodohgod… Jaaaaaaaaaack!”

He came explosively, shouting the name at the top of his lungs. His body jerked spasmodically as jets of cum filled his lover’s mouth. Jack swallowed every drop and gave a final lap before releasing Daniel’s spent cock. The archaeologist's legs buckled, and he fell on his knees in front of his lover. He panted hard as Jack engulfed him into a fierce hug.

“God, Jack… that was… was… wow… thank you… love you… love you…”

“Jesus, baby, no, thank YOU. You… you gave me the best gift you could. I love you so much, so much.”

“Shit, Jack, let me take care of you!” Daniel exclaimed, realizing that Jack might be still sustaining a painful hard-on.

“Too late,” Jack chuckled.

“Huh?”

Jack pulled away and showed Daniel his also expended cock.

“Oh.”

“Hearing you was enough to send me to the edge,” Jack laughed.

Daniel grinned back.

Jack’s face became sober and cupped his partner’s face. He brushed his parted lips and cheek with his thumb. His eyes glistened with endless love and devotion.

“Every time I think it’s impossible to love you more, you beat my expectations again. I hope never to see you again suffering at any level. I commit my life to love you and protect you because you are the most precious treasure in my life. You and Charlie are the best things that ever happened to me. I couldn’t protect him, but I swear to God that I’ll always do anything in my hand to keep you safe. And if that’s not possible, if something happens to you anyway, be sure I’ll always be at your side, loving you, supporting you, and helping you to go through whatever situation might be. You will never, never be alone. I promise. I love you, Daniel. More than anything.”

Daniel’s heart swelled at Jack’s words. With eyes bright with unshed tears, he cupped his partner’s jaw lovingly. “I love you so much, Jack,” he whispered, not trusting his voice. “One heart, one soul, forever.”

They locked his lips in a long and passionate kiss, while warm water continued spraying over his bodies, mixing with their tears of joy.”

***

**Two weeks later–September 20th, 2011**

The whole high clearance SGC personnel were gathered at the gate room to hear Landry's announcement. Both Jack and Daniel were standing next to Vala at first-row among the civilian staff.

“… so as from today, “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy comes to its end. From now on, no man or woman will be barred from serving in the military of the US because of their sexual orientation. Everyone is free to show their sexual orientation openly without risking to be discharged. Every person in this base is free to disclose their same-sex relationship if they wish it. Thus from today, any person who commits any act of harassment to any member of this base for being involved in a same-sex relationship will be severely reprimanded.”

Some faces lighted up to the General’s announcement, others wrinkled their noses, but everybody stayed unmoving, not daring to give the first clap.

“What do you think, Danny, let’s give it a boost?” Jack looked at his partner mischievously.

Daniel just shrugged, so Jack did something he had wishing to do for years. He took his partner into his arms into the purest Hallmark movie style and devoured his mouth in front of everyone. Daniel grabbed his head and returned the kiss with equal passion.

A few faces grimaced in disgust, Vala grinned from ear to ear, Mitchell’s jaw dropped to the floor, and the rest of the room burst into cheers.

“Yoo-hooooo!” Ferretti’s voice stood above the racket. “Pay the winners!”

Daniel broke the kiss and looked at Jack, bewildered. “They made bets?”

“Oh, yeah,” Jack smirked. “I betted on Harriman and Siler.”

Daniel made a face, and then something captured his attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned around. Thompson was kissing Martin, Beret was kissing Jones, and White was kissing Garcia. And Harriman and Siler… Daniel grinned. “Jack, you won.”

**The end, for now**


End file.
